I was, or I should say I am not much of a musician. Yes, I love music, life would be incomplete or at least, less enjoyable without it.
Yes I can play the guitar. My own preference is a 12-string that can produce all sorts of sweet music to compensate for my lack of dexterity with my left hand, and the apparent ineptitude with the chord chart. I can also sing.
But enough about me.
Instead let’s talk about the artists I enjoyed assisting with our nightly gigs where I work. Best part of the job, actually. It’s when I get to see them live, hear them play, feel the songs. Stomp with the beat.
There’s this duo, The Komradze, whom I met quite recently, and an instant favorite of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of them. Every night is a different sort of musical trip, but Thursdays is when the guys sing my generation. Imagine, if you will, songs from British bands that came out in the 80s, all beautifully rendered with two voices, prolific drumming, guitar work that works, and a few snippets of harmonica sprinkled where it should be. I am talking about taking a song and making it their own. Then, there’s The Institute, with Jowi at the helm, a guitar virtuoso (he wouldn’t admit to it) that has been surrounded by musicians all his life, and wields a mean Strat. My musical preferences sit snugly with these guys, a bit of jazz and funk, pop and ballads, hell, they can play most of the songs I grew up with. And, perks of the job, I got dibs with the band, so once in a while I do get to sing with them.
That’s not the half of it.
Jazz and Benjie, and Allot when he has to fill in, are the sort of musicians who have been a round the circuit for a while. I’ll tell you more about them. Then there’s Mia & Paul, whom I get to enjoy every Saturday. Rain and Red, Odie, Lady Mae, Creative Minds, Viola, Roland, Walking-Waling these artists are what makes me groove with the music, a testament to the choice of entertainment we have.
I like music.
To hear it live makes it more raw and personal. With musicians like them, makes the experience more relevant, more guttural.
Politics bore me, so why talk about it. Local movies stink, that is putting it mildly. But the music circuit, keeps the beating heart of the city alive. My love for books is only superseded by music, which is a very tiny margin, If I should say so myself.
So I guess from here on in, this will be a a series of blog post of my nightly foray into live music.
But first and foremost, is food, of course. Alex grew up in a big ,extended family that food is often a celebration, a gathering and a staple to kindling family ties. His love for our own local delicacies can only be matched with his passion for trying new recipes, combining influences and making them consumer ready without sacrificing taste. Also, our wine and liquor stock is his brainchild, promoting locally made craft beer, discovering new ones, making the choices for our customers wider than usual. It got so passionate that we have our own signature drinks – Bambutini, Jones Bridge – just a couple to tease the taste buds. His travels led to creating an ambience and feel for Bambu Intramuros and Bamboo Giant Malate, and the rest of the sibling restaurants he built. A chef that has been around for quite sometime, Alex loves putting together teams that is bred for only one thing – creating a menu worth going through each time you come by our place.
He has worked in Singapore, and elsewhere around the world, but his heart stays planted, firmly on local soil. Well, if he is not driving around his sturdy truck, doing business stuff and discovering other restos and nighspots around the metro that is. Not one to just sit around after the work is done, he also helps people as a consultant for their own businesses, always with the emphasis on taste and presentation, and everything else comes naturally – the styling and look – that makes people come again and again. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able chance upon us with Alex creating new delights on one of his food tasting treats.
But Onie, Ka Onie, Tito Onie among the younger set , and friends, despite the long, grayish white hair and the solemn demeanor (when not smiling, which is rare) is hardly stern nor hard to read. Born with the name Honesto, he is anything but the quite type. Conversations with him can start with one simple thing, and then expound into a galaxy of art, bonsai, gardening, travel and music. There are no boundaries when you sit down with him and just discuss the known universe, and then some that are virtually unknown, punctuated with humorous anecdotes and side-splitting punchlines, there is no boring moment with him.
in Baguio City and the two most dear to him Bamboo Giant Malate and Bambu Intramuros – are products of a mind that never cease to discover new things. Driftwood and strange artifacts often find themselves on display in and around these restaurants. And what with his botanical skills (he has designed gardens that has the acclaim of not just institutions, but a queen once congratulated him for a job well done!) Bambu Intramuros along with Bamboo Giant Malate are testament for his love of colorful plants, beautiful music and art. These are his concepts for ingredients of what a good dining experience should be. Indeed, you could call Onie the beating heart of his creations.
From concept to execution, choosing the right stuff for the right spot, hanging positive words to engage the diner on what could be just another meal and turn it to a whole intellectual experience, picking meticulously the musicians who perform every night, less electronic, more on acoustic, not just elevator music, these are but some of his passionate hands working. He disagrees with extravagance, but the lushness of the leaves and trees, poetry in music, collecting art and the open arms he extends to those who are looking for work is the unspoken lavishness of the man’s character. His organic farm elsewhere is a foundation for his altruism. His bonsai is the incarnation of his soul.
#whatsthepoint 
You must be logged in to post a comment.